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ofa ageingpictureresearch
Ireland, North and South
ofa
ageingpicture
research
Ireland, North and South
Published by the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland(CARDI) © Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland. CARDIhas produced this publication as a resource for researchers, policy-makers,older people and others with an interest in ageing research. Extracts of thedocument may be freely reproduced for non-commercial purposes providedthe source is acknowledged.
It may be cited as A Picture of Ageing Research: Ageing Research in Ireland,North and South. Dublin: Centre for Ageing Research and Development inIreland, 2010.
This publication can be downloaded from www.cardi.ie and additional printed copies can be obtained from [email protected] or by post from:
Our work has been made possible through funding by The Atlantic Philanthropies,augmented by grants from the Department of Health and Children in Dublin and theHealth and Social Care Research Office, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland.CARDI is hosted by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland.
Centre for Ageing Research and Development in IrelandForestview Purdy’s Lane Belfast BT87ZX
t +44 (0) 28 9069 0066e [email protected]
www.cardi.ie
Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland5th Floor Bishop’s SquareRedmond’s HillDublin 2
t +353 (0) 1 478 6308
What is
The Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI)is a not for profit organisation developed by leaders from the ageing field across Ireland (North and South) with support from The AtlanticPhilanthropies. CARDI focuses on promoting research cooperation across sectors and disciplines and influencing the direction of research on ageing and older people.
CARDI’s mission is to advocate for and advance the ageing researchagenda by identifying, coordinating, stimulating, and communicatingstrategic research on ageing and older people as a means to improve the lives of older people in Ireland especially those who are disadvantaged.
CARDI’s all-island approach focuses on:
• CARDI Grants Programme to stimulate inter-disciplinaryresearch into ageing issues across the island of Ireland
• A Policy Support Programme tohelp develop greater links in policyareas between the research andpolicy community
• Communicating the latest news,research and funding opportunitiesrelating to ageing research
CARDI’s work includes:
CARDI’s website www.cardi.ie provides access to an extensive libraryof ageing research and policy reports, research contacts, fundingopportunities, key events and the latest news on ageing research and older people.
• Identifying and establishing ageingresearch priorities relevant topolicy and practice
• Promoting collaboration andcooperation to build an ageingresearch community
• Stimulating research in priorityareas to inform policy and practice
• Communicating strategic researchto raise the profile of ageingresearch
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ageing, social participation and isolation,inequalities in later life and creatingservices that are shaped by andappropriate for older people.
Likewise there is a need to understandthe role of older people as citizens,consumers, carers and, increasingly, as workers. Finally it is important torecognise that ageing poses no threat to our society but there is a need to planand make the fullest use of research to take account of this demographictransformation.
CARDI was established to help researchplay its role in planning for demographicchange. This publication provides anoverview of major academic research into ageing being undertaken across the island of Ireland. It comprisessubmissions made by academicinstitutions in response to a formalinvitation issued by CARDI. It alsoprovides an overview of some of themajor collaborative ageing projects,including the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). In addition, it provides an overview of CARDI fundedresearch projects, which are all Ireland,interdisciplinary projects designed toimprove policies and services for olderpeople.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who made submissionsand to Nicola Donnelly, CommunicationsOfficer with CARDI, for her work incompiling this publication.
We are delighted to present to you thisreport which illustrates the breadth andquality of work by academic institutions in diverse disciplines relating to ageing in Ireland (North and South) and thesignificant role it has in all our futures.
Dr Roger O’Sullivan, Director
An ageing world requires new thinking
...the futurebelongs to those
who prepare for it.
Dr. Robert N. Butler,Former President and CEO of the InternationalLongevity Centre, USA.
One of the greatest achievements of thelast century is that we are living longerthan ever before both as individuals andan island.
Medical advances, improved diet andliving conditions and better healthcarehave resulted in the rapid growth of olderpeople.
Worldwide, some one million peoplepass the sixty year old threshold everymonth.
Ageing on this scale is unprecedentedand will have significant consequencesglobally and across Ireland – North andSouth.
However, while people are living longerand many more are living healthier livesinto old age, this is not universal. Thereare still considerable health, social andeconomic challenges to be overcome to help us achieve a healthy, active and fulfilling old age for all.
Preparing for the diversity of later life can be helped by understanding theimplications of ageing: health and
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ageingresearch
in context
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Ageing in Ireland, North and South
The island of Ireland is an ageing society with nearly one million peopleaged 60 years or older. By 2031, it is expected that Northern Ireland’spercentage of people aged 60 or older will increase to 28 per cent. It willtake until 2041 to reach a similar level in the Republic of Ireland. There isalso a significant increase in the oldest old. By 2041 the number of peopleaged 85 years or older will rise almost fivefold, from 74,000 to 356,000 with the number of centenarians predicted to top 8,500 by 2041.1
51 Data from Illustrating Ageing in Ireland North & South Key Facts and Figures.
See www.cardi.ie/publications/illustratingageinginirelandnorthsouthkeyfactsandfigures
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Projected Population Change
RoI projected rise in older population by year 2006 - 2041
NI projected rise in older population by year 2006 - 2041
Policy, practice and resource allocation
decisions must be made on the best available information. It is essential that ageing research helps play its part to plan for demographic change.
Dr. Roger O’SullivanDirector, CARDI
6
What is ageing research?Ageing is a diverse subject andageing research takes place in a variety of academic disciplines, from the biomedical to socialsciences. It touches on subjectsincluding age-related diseases,determinants of healthy ageing,ageing and economic development,changing family structures, socialintegration and participation, workand retirement, economic securityand pensions, and quality of life.
Although the term ageing may have different meanings in different academic disciplines, it is increasingly recognised as a complex area with a major impact medically, economically and socially. It is also recognised
that no single discipline can answerall we need to know about ageing.
Why ageing research matters?An ageing population is one of the success stories of modernsociety. Yet, changing populationdemographics highlight the urgentneed for research to support suchchange.
Research on older people’s livesand experiences can provide animportant evidence-base for ‘what works’ and ‘what will work’ for our ageing populations and can be a vital resource for effectivepolicy making.
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Research into ageing as a subject is a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland, North and South.However, it is growing in strengthand reputation across a wide range of disciplines. One theme whichremains constant is the drive toimprove the quality of life for theincreasing number of older peopleon the island of Ireland.
The funding of ageing research in Ireland, North and South, is supported by a range ofgovernment departments, charities, trusts, businesses, the European Union, internationaland philanthropic bodies.
The Health Research Board in theRepublic of Ireland and the Health & Social Care Research &Development Office within thePublic Health Agency, NorthernIreland hold significant researchbudgets. The investment by Irish Life, Intel, The AtlanticPhilanthropies and the AmericanFederation of Ageing Researchamong others has helped bringforward important and much needed ageing research.
majorcollaborativeresearchprojects
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Principal Investigator, TILDA and Professor of Geriatric Medicineand Consultant Geriatrician at St James’s Hospital, Dublin.
Ageing on the scale we will experience in the
near future is an unprecedented phenomenon in Irish history. In starkcontrast to the evident importance of ageing, there is an acute shortage of social, economic and health information on older persons in Ireland. The data from TILDA will be crucial in filling this gap and will provide policy-makers in the fields of health, social care, pension planning and biotechnology with a unique knowledge base. TILDA is essential to underpin planning and to ensure a ‘healthy and happy’ life span for the people of Ireland.
The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
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Institute, the NationalUniversity of IrelandGalway, the Royal Collegeof Surgeons in Ireland,University College Cork, UniversityCollege Dublin and WaterfordInstitute of Technology.
Similar studies have beenconducted in a number of othercountries such as the United Statesand England and have madeimportant contributions to policyanalysis and design. In this way,they have led to majorimprovements in the pensions and healthcare systems.
TILDA is funded by The AtlanticPhilanthropies, Irish Life and theDepartment of Health and Children. The study will cost €29 million over a ten-year period.
For further details on TILDA visitwww.tilda.ie
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The Irish Longitudinal Study onAgeing (TILDA), launched in 2006, is a study of a representative sampleof 8,000 people living in Ireland overthe age of 50, charting their health,social and economic circumstancesover a 10-year period. It will collectdetailed information on all aspects of their lives, including:
• Health – physical, mental, serviceneeds and usage;
• Economic – pensions,employment, income and assets;
• Social – contact with friends andfamily, formal and informal care,social participation.
The study is being carried out byTrinity College Dublin in collaborationwith an interdisciplinary panel ofscientific researchers, with expertisein various fields of ageing, from theDundalk Institute of Technology, theEconomic and Social Research
The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
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The TRIL (Technology Research forIndependent Living) Centre wasestablished in 2007. It is an initiativeto explore the physical, cognitiveand social consequences of ageingand develop technology solutions toaddress them in 2007. Over the lastthree years, more than 600 olderadults have been assessed in theTRIL Clinic and a large numberhave participated in the TRILtechnology home deploymentprogramme.
The Centre was originally funded byIntel and IDA Ireland. It recently alsoadded GE Healthcare as anindustry partner to help extend andexpand its research programme.TRIL brings together amultidisciplinary team of more than70 researchers from Intel, UniversityCollege Dublin (UCD), TrinityCollege Dublin (TCD) and NationalUniversity of Ireland (NUI) Galway.
The TRIL Centre seeks to enableolder people to live independently in the homes of their choice for as
long as possible, withthe help of technologyand in the process, tohelp ease the strain onglobal healthcare systemsas the world’s populationages.
Through home-based behaviouralassessment, multi-disciplinaryresearch teams identify behaviouralmarkers such as changes in gait,speech patterns, or socialinteractions that indicate the onsetof disease, then create and home-test technology solutions to enableearly disease detection,measurement and positiveintervention by patients themselvesor caregivers. These solutions areshared with other researchers inmodular, reusable open-IP tool-kitsand also used to inform the homehealth platform development of Inteland its eco-system collaborators.
For more information about the TRIL Centre visitwww.trilcentre.org.
TRIL
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Plans for a Northern IrelandLongitudinal Study on Ageing(NILDA) are building momentum. It is intended that NILDA will be a comprehensive, long-term study of adult development andageing in Northern Ireland. It willsample men and women aged 50 years and above who will berepresentative of the NorthernIreland population. The study willcollect data on various aspects oftheir lives including health, socialand economic information in orderto build up a picture of ageing inNorthern Ireland. Participants willtake part in repeated waves ofdata collection every three yearsand will be followed-up for a periodof at least ten years.
The core aim of NILDA is to gain abetter understanding of the social,
biomedical,behavioural,economic andenvironmental factorsassociated with age-related change and toidentify ways in which thisknowledge can inform futurepolicies and services.
The NILDA study will forge linkswith and be informed by otherlongitudinal studies of ageingin a number of other countriesincluding England and the UnitedStates where they have had animportant role in shaping policiesand planning. The study will alsowork closely with The IrishLongitudinal Study on Ageing(TILDA) to provide an island ofIreland analysis.
Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study on Ageing (NILDA)
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The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) is a longitudinal, multidisciplinary and cross-national panel database of micro data on health,socio-economic status and socialand family networks of more than30,000 individuals aged 50 or over.
SHARE is coordinated centrally atthe Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA).Eleven countries contributed data to the 2004 SHARE baseline study.They represent the various regionsin Europe, ranging from Scandinavia(Denmark and Sweden) throughCentral Europe (Austria, France,Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands) to theMediterranean (Spain, Italy and Greece). Further data werecollected in 2005-06 in Israel.
Ireland joined SHARE in 2006 and participated in the second wave of data collection in 2006-07. The survey’s third wave of datacollection, SHARELIFE, collectsdetailed retrospective life-historiesin thirteen countries in 2008-09.
The Geary Institute at UniversityCollege Dublin (UCD) runs the study in Ireland - collecting and managing a cohort
of approximately 1,000 over-50’s fromacross the country. Withfunding support from theIrish Research Council forthe Humanities and SocialSciences (IRCHSS) and morerecently the Health ResearchBoard (HRB), they are progressingwith SHARELIFE. In this wave, theyare re-interviewing the original cohortbut taking detailed retrospective life-histories.
Participating in this project connects Ireland with aninternational research networkinvolving the major experts in the world in a number of diverseageing fields including medicine,economics, epidemiology andseveral others. Combined with thecomparable data-set, there is also an opportunity for Ireland to learnin advance from the experiences of countries further along the ageingprocess.
For more information on SHARE please visit www.share-project.org
For more information on SHARE in Ireland please visitgeary.ucd.ie/share/index.php
The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)
academicinstitutionsresearch
profiles
14
Academic institutions across the island of Ireland are engaged in awide range of research programmes and projects relating to ageing.
Research is conducted across avariety of disciplines touching on all aspects of the ageing researchspectrum.
A number of institutions areconducting pioneering research thathas gained international recognitionand many of them are increasinglyfocussing on the area of ageing asa research priority.
The institution profiles in thispublication provide a snapshot of academic research on ageingactivity across Ireland, North andSouth and illustrate the breadth and quality of ageing researchbeing carried out by universities.
1. Athlone Institute of Technology
Nutritional Status of the OlderPerson in Residential Care
At Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT),a research project focusing on theconnection between nutrition anddementia is being carried out by theSchool of Science. The project title is‘Assessing the Nutritional Status of theOlder Person in Residential Care andits impact on Cognitive Ability’. It isbeing undertaken by the Department ofNursing and Health Sciences, School ofScience and is funded by the HigherEducation Authority – TechnologySector Research Programme forPostgraduate R&D Skills Programme.This project is also supported by theHealth Service Executive (HSE).
The project assesses the baselinenutritional status of an elderlypopulation and assesses them fordietary deficiencies. Cognitive abilitywill also be determined. These twomeasurements will be assessed to seewhether a correlation exists betweennutritional status and cognitive ability.
It is hoped the research findings willenable residential care workers andprimary healthcare teams to betterdeliver optimal care specific toindividual older persons.
For further information:
Lorna WalshFunded Research ManagerOffice of ResearchAthlone Institute of TechnologyAthloneCo WestmeathIreland
t +353 90 647 1805e [email protected]
www.ait.ie15
16
2. Cork Institute of Technology
Elder Care
Research currently being undertakenon elder care in the Department ofSocial and General Studies revolvesaround activity interventions with adultswith dementia and the provision andexperiences of care support for personswith a disability living at a home.
Ageing research at DCU takes placeacross a number of departments anddisciplines. Key projects include:
DCU Intergenerational LearningProject (ILP)
ILP began in February 2008 aiming to research the benefits of creating ateaching and learning space on a thirdlevel campus where the knowledge,wisdom, insight and vibrancy of olderpeople could be valued through theirmeeting and learning with third levelstudents. One of the aims of this projectis to bridge the so called digital divideby providing a space at third levelwhere the younger DCU students, in a volunteering capacity, impart theseskills to the older learners. In return, the older students transfer their livedexperience, their knowledge, theirinterests, their wisdom and creativity. To date, over 100 older people andover 100 DCU students haveparticipated in this project.
EU lifelong learning policies
This study explores the relationshipbetween EU lifelong learning policiesand strategies with the attributes andpractices of adults in relation to learningin later life. The study highlights theweaknesses of European legislation intaking into account of the pattern ofchanges during the life time ofindividuals as they age, in particular,the provision of learning opportunitiesat major life transition stages, such asretirement.
Representations of older people in advertising
Researchers at the School ofCommunications have carried out an
3. Dublin City University
For further information:
Dr. Niall SmithHead of ResearchCork Institute of TechnologyBishopstownCo CorkIreland
t +353 21 4326162 / 6369e [email protected]
www.cit.ie
17
age-analysis of the representation ofthe men and women in advertising inIreland. Their data indicate that there is a substantial underrepresentation ofolder people, especially older women,in advertising. The findings demonstratethat male and female youthfulness are constructed and valorised insignificantly different ways- there is a far greater onus on women to lookyoung (and sexual), whereas for menthe focus is more on acting and feelingyoung.
Bridge-employment after formal retirement
This research project examines pre-retirement decision making in relation to engaging in bridge-employment after formal retirement(bridge employment being defined as part-time or short-duration jobs that occur between full-time careeremployment and complete labour force withdrawal), by looking at thepsychological processes involved in thisdecision making and the preparationstrategies used to prepare.
Ageing research activity at theSchool of Health and HumanPerformance is taking place on two fronts. It is working with theEuropean Space Agency to investigatethe impact of short-term immobility on metabolism. Short-term bed rest is a model of accelerated ageing and is useful for the study of muscle wasting and metabolic dysfunction. It is also researching the influences and motivations of elderly individualswho adhere long term to physicalactivity following a cardiac event.
Research into Age friendly andAssistive technologies for theelderly is also being carried out at two major research centres at DCU, the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute(BDI) and the Center for Sensor Webtechnologies (Clarity). The BDI isinvolved in the Nestling project, whichaims to develop a centre of excellencefor the promotion of community orientedmodels for independent living, focusingon more sustainable home andneighbourhood design and more age-friendly technologies.
Researchers in Clarity are involved in a series of research initiatives aimed at developing assistive technology forthe elderly. For example, one of theirprojects aims at developing wearablesensors for monitoring breathing; whichcan be used to detect pre-onset ofasthmatic attacks, or incidents relatedto chronic respiratory conditions.
For further information:
Research Support ServicesInventDublin City UniversityGlasnevinDublin 9Ireland
t +353 1 7008000e [email protected]
www.dcu.ie/research
18
Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)undertakes research that is stronglyfocused on problem-solving, social andtechnological development andinnovation that advances humanknowledge and makes a real impact onpeople’s life experience. Someresearch areas specific to ageinginclude:
Healthier Lives for Children, theElderly and Vulnerable Populations
The Environmental Health SciencesInstitute (EHSI) is a dedicated nationaltranslational research platform,uniquely based on collaborationbetween DIT, the Health ServiceExecutive (HSE) and Dublin CityCouncil (DCC), with the activeparticipation of other academicinstitutions. The overarching missionand vision is to achieve ‘Healthier Livesfor Children, the Elderly and VulnerablePopulations’. Key areas of ageingresearch within the institute includedietary and nutritional studies, assistivetechnology research. Some of theresearch projects that have beencompleted or are currently beingundertaken are outlined below:
The Community Life of Older People in Ireland
The Department of Social Science, haspublished a major study of the lives of
older people in 21st century Ireland,titled ‘The Community Life of OlderPeople in Ireland’. This study is basedon primary research that examined theeveryday lives of older people in twogeographic locations - a suburban areain the North Dublin and a rural area inCounty Donegal.
Investigating the links between fuel poverty and health
Research funded by CARDI exploresfuel poverty and health across theisland of Ireland. It looks at the extent of fuel poverty and undertakes a surveyof the health behaviours of fuel-poorolder householders. It explores the linkbetween cold-related mortality andmorbidity among older people. Theresearch will examine householdtemperatures and home-heatingbehaviour among vulnerable olderpeople.
Nutrition and diet
Researchers in the School of Biological Sciences have researchedthe nutritional status of the elderly andthe diet of older citizens in a number of projects. For example, researchersexamined the nutritional status ofrecipients of meals-on-wheels and thenutrient content of a sample of mealsprovided to determine whether statutoryminimum nutritional standards would be
4. Dublin Institute of Technology
19
beneficial. Research is also focusing onthe use of oral nutritional supplements(ONS) in an elderly Irish communitysetting. The study has discovered thatsocial factors, such as living alone, anddifficulties with cooking and shopping,influenced the need for ONS in almost70% of cases. Currently researchersare investigating ‘The nutritional statusof patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea’. Although thisproject is not specifically related toolder persons, the average age ofpatients developing this condition in the sample to date is 78 years.
Investigating age-related visual impairment
Age-related macular degeneration(AMD) visual impairment is the mostcommon cause of vision impairment inpeople aged 65 and over in developedcountries. The Department ofOptometry is embarking on a researchproject to measure the “Functionalhealth literacy and medical informationin adults with macular degenerationvisual impairment”. Little research hasbeen carried out to date in Irelandconcerning functional health literacy(FHL) and medical prescription labels in adults with age-related maculardegeneration (AMD) visual impairment.This research therefore aims to providedata on the relationship between health
For further information:
Professor Ellen HazelkornOffice of the Graduate ResearchDublin Institute of Technology 143 Rathmines Road Dublin 6 Ireland
t +353 1 402 3370 e [email protected]
www.dit.ie/research
information, near visual ability, AMDvisual impairment and the extent towhich this influences medicationcompliance. The results of this studywill help develop strategies to improvemedical compliance and access towritten medical prescription labelscompatible to individuals suffering from AMD.
5. Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)
20
and market leadership in the emergingAmbient Assisted Living (AAL) sector.
The centre’s are currently involved in a wide variety of regional, national andinternational age related research anddevelopment projects, such as;
The Nestling Project
A collaborative demonstration projectaimed at developing innovative servicemodels to support older people to agein place in their own homes, based on a closer integration of community care,physical environment, and technologydimensions. This project has led to thedevelopment of development of 16smart-homes / apartments (GreatNorthern Haven), located in Dundalk,and aims to provide a more adaptablesocial and physical environment that itmore responsive to older peoplesneeds, and which will enhance thequality of life for ageing people livingindependently.
Age Friendly County Initiative
The Age Friendly County Initiative isgrounded in research, and based on anumber of important principles agreedby the partners in the Age FriendlyAlliance, which include: a recognitionthat older people are criticalcontributors to our society and aresource. Louth is the first county to led the initiative, and will help to definestandards thereby acting as a roadmapfor other counties to follow.
Ageing research is a major researchtheme at Dundalk Institute ofTechnology which is focused aroundthe Netwell and CASALA Centre’s.
The Netwell Centre
The Netwell Centre is focusing on transforming communities,environments and technologies forageing-in-place. Its primary goal is toprovide a Centre of Excellence for theapplied research, development andapplication of innovative servicemodels and technologies to supportolder people to age in place in theirown homes. The Netwell Centreprovides a means to develop theaugmentation and streaming of thiswork into translational, clinical and field research directed at the range of disciplines that address thephenomenon of longer living on theIsland. The Centre focuses uponenvironmental gerontology, geron-technology and psychosocialgerontology.
The CASALA Centre
The Centre for Affective Solutions forAmbient Living Awareness (CASALA)is an applied research centre on theDundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)campus, established with seed fundingunder the Enterprise Ireland AppliedResearch Enhancement programme.CASALA’s primary function is workingwith Irish industry to achieve productinnovation, business competitiveness,
21
BRIAD
Bridging Research in Ageing and ICTDevelopment (BRAID) co funded underthe European FP7 Programme. It willdevelop a comprehensive RTD(Research and TechnologyDevelopment) roadmap for activeageing, by consolidating existingroadmaps. BRAID will identify keyresearch challenges and produce avision for a comprehensive approach in supporting the well-being and socioeconomic integration of increasingnumbers of senior citizens in Europe.
Home Sweet Home
Health monitoring and sOcial integrationenvironMEnt for Supporting WidEExTension of independent life at HOME,a FP7/CIP funded project - The projectwill trial a new, economically sustainablehome assistance service which extendselders independent living. It intends to achieve this by providing acomprehensive set of services whichsupport elders in their daily activities and allows carers to remotely assesstheir ability to stay independent.
Bosch Telehealth Trial
Robert Bosch Healthcare, Inc. undertookits first UK/Ireland trial of the HealthBuddy remote patient monitoring systemin Ireland. During the trial researchersevaluated how patients responded to the telehealth technology anddetermine its ability to impact their
well-being and quality of life. They also solicited feedback from cliniciansto learn how telehealth systems maycontribute to improving their healthcareservice and relationships with patients.This pilot project will allow healthcareservices to assess the feasibility ofexpanding telehealth services to abroader community.
For further information:
Dr Tim McCormacHead of ResearchResearch OfficeDundalk Institute of TechnologyDundalkCo LouthIreland
e [email protected] +353 42 937 0459
ww2.dkit.ie/research
22
The National University of Ireland Galway(NUIG) is involved with a number of themajor ageing research initiatives inIreland (SHARE, TRIL, TILDA). While the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology(ICSG) is the catalyst for much of therecent research activity on ageing in theUniversity, work on ageing is also beingundertaken by researchers and academicfaculty across a wide range of schoolsand disciplines. Major research themesand initiatives include:
Ageing and Migration Intersections
The theme explores the intersectionsbetween migration and ageing at asocietal, population and cultural level.Researchers at the ICSG are currentlycontributing to the international synthesisreport on ‘the role of migrant care workersin ageing societies’, which is the productof a three-year long cross-nationalresearch project involving colleagues inGeorgetown University, University ofOxford and the University of Ottawa.
Autonomy and Quality of Life in Residential Care
The School of Nursing and Midwifery is exploring the concept of autonomy in residential care with the purpose of enhancing resident autonomy.Research on factors that impact on the implementation of person-centredcare in residential care is also beingundertaken by Nursing and Midwifery.ICSG is also looking at the effects ofinstitutionalisation on low-dependencyolder people and the role ofenvironmental and organisationalcomponents in the construction of these effects.
Dementia and Cognitive Ageing
The dementia reminiscence educationprogramme for staff (DARES) isinvestigating the impact of a reminiscencebased education programme on care forpeople with dementia living in long-staycare. Research at the School of Nursingand Midwifery is looking at thepsychosocial training needs of nurses and health care assistants working withpeople with dementia in residential caresettings. At the School of Psychology,researchers are examining novelbiomarkers of cognitive ageing. Economicaspects of dementia care are also beinginvestigated within ICSG.
Health and Ageing
This theme covers a wide range of projects on health and ageingencompassing elements of healtheconomics, epidemiology and generalpractice medicine. Work under this themeincludes implementing and evaluating a structured education programme forpeople with Type 1 Diabetes (DAFNE) in Ireland (ICSG). Other projects includeMultimorbidity, Healthcare Utilisation andHealthcare Costs in Ireland (ICSG),health economics evaluation of COPD.
Political Economy of Ageing
Current work includes documenting the work of older social and politicalentrepreneurs and identifying where andhow the social economy can produceinnovative solutions to the challenges of an ageing society (ICSG). Research is also underway that uses a politicalframework of analysis to examine howpolicies for older people are designed.
5. National University of Ireland Galway
23
Retirement, Health and Pensions
Researchers at the ICSG, the GlobalWomen's Studies Programme, and theSchool of Economics are looking at therelationship between ill-health andretirement; financial incentives to retirethrough pensions, the impact of theseincentives on alternative workingarrangements such as part-time work or self employment and older womenworkers and their access to pensions.
Rurality, Place and Neighbourhood Context
ICSG is involved in the LimerickRegeneration Programme supporting a prioritisation of older people and theirneeds and interests in regenerationcommunities. A Healthy Ageing in RuralCommunities (HARC) cross-borderresearch network, funded by CARDI,has been established with QueensUniversity Belfast and other rural ageing stakeholder groups. There is also continuing work on the influence of neighbourhood context, including the relationship between disability onset and neighbourhood variables.
Technology, Ambient Assistant Living and Independent Living:
Researchers at the National Centre forBiomedical Engineering Science and the Smart Ambient Assisted Livingresearch group are pursuing a numberof projects in the areas of smart sensortechnology for ambient assisted living.Dissemination activity is continuing on NUIG’s work in the TechnologyResearch for Independent Living project(TRIL) focusing on older people and
For further information:
Research OfficeNational University of Ireland GalwayUniversity Road Galway Ireland
t +353 (0) 91 495312 e [email protected]
www.nuigalway.ie/our-research/
cognitive, social connection and fallstechnology. Researchers at ISCG arealso conducting work on the willingnessto pay for technological interventions inolder adult care.
Wisdom
The Galway Wisdom Project draws on international co-operation includingcolleagues in Oxford, Salford (UK) andWuhan (China). It explores the historyand philosophy of different approachesto wisdom using ethnographic and otherapproaches to track forms of wisdomrelevant to the contemporary world.
NUI Galway also run innovative teachingand learning programmes in the field of ageing, including: the Diploma inSocial Gerontology and the “LivingScenes” Intergenerational Programme of Learning coordinated by theCommunity Education Centre.
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Ageing research takes place across a wide range of disciplines andthemes at the National University of Ireland (NUI), Maynooth. Someexamples of ageing research workinclude:
Psychosocial influences on cognitive ageing
Research at the Department ofPsychology is examining thepsychosocial influences on cognitiveageing. Ongoing studies haveexplored this by examining howattitudes towards self-ageing mayinfluence cognitive performance, andthe relationship between participationin engaging productive activities andsubjective well-being. In addition, theDepartment of Psychology hasdeveloped a research collaborationwith the Age-Related HealthCare/stroke service at the Adelaideand Meath Hospital. The researchinterests of this group includedeveloping an understanding of thepsychological impact of stroke and therole of technology in cognitive andphysical recovery after stroke.
Sarcopenia of old age
The Muscle Biology Laboratory,is involved in the large-scale andhigh-throughput biochemical analysisof the sarcopenia of old age. Themajor aim of the laboratory is toidentify novel disease-specificmarkers of ageing in the main types of skeletal muscles in the body.
This biomedical knowledge can then be used to promote healthy ageing by improving diagnostic procedures,providing information on the mostsuitable preventative schemes tolessen age-related muscle wasting and identifying new therapeutic targets.The Department of Biology also carriesout research into the use of adult stemcells to repair degenerating tissues andexamining how the immune systemdeclines with age.
Understanding biological systemsthrough innovative engineering
The Biomedical Engineering Group’smission is to seek new knowledge inunderstanding biological systemsthrough innovative engineering scienceapproaches and to harness thisunderstanding for the synthesis of newdevices, algorithms, techniques andsystems that advance biology, medicineand human health. Specific researchprojects relating to ageing includes:Brain Computer Interfacing for StrokeRehabilitation, Non-contact ActigraphyBased Sleep Monitoring, Daily ActivityMonitoring and Intervention in a SmartHome Environment and Modelling ofblood pressure control systems in thebody.
Geographies of Caring and Disability
Research at the Department ofGeography, looks at the use of spatialdata for needs assessment and hasworked with the Combat PovertyAgency and with the Health Research
7. National University of Ireland, Maynooth
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For further information:
Research Support OfficeAuxilia HouseNorth CampusNUI MaynoothCo. Kildare
t +353 1 708 6682e [email protected]
www.research.nuim.ie/
Board (HRB) on projects relating topoverty indices and resource allocationmodelling while also carrying out workon accessibility to secondary careservices with the Centre for Cross-Border Studies. An understanding ofspatial information/knowledge and itsrelevance to the planning of services for ageing populations would be a coreconcern.
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8. Queen’s University Belfast
Ageing research takes place across a number of schools and centres,primarily in the medical field, at Queen’sUniversity Belfast. Some notableresearch programmes include:
Medical
Ageing Research in the Centre for Public Health
Research into the chronic diseasesassociated with ageing represents asignificant theme within the Centre forPublic Health (CPH). There is anAgeing Group with a specific focus oncognitive decline , but in addition muchof the work of the remaining groupswithin the Centre (Renal Disease,Cardiovascular Epidemiology, CancerEpidemiology and Health ServicesResearch and Nutrition andMetabolism) is directly related to thecommon degenerative conditions whichaffect an elderly population.
Ageing Group
Within the Ageing Group, the mainfocus is on Alzheimer’s disease (AD)and in particular on geneticsusceptibility. The group has publishedextensively on susceptibility genes forAD and neuropsychiatric symptoms inAD. Most recently a major success was being a significant part of theconsortium which identified the firstmajor susceptibility genes for AD for 16 years, rated 9th in the top medicalbreakthroughs of 2009 by TIMEmagazine. Genetic studies are
continuing both inhouse and as acontinuing part of the successfulinternational collaborations.
Genetic studies of AD and vascular dementia
Research has involved genetic studiesof AD and vascular dementia, dementiaafter stroke, peripheral blood markersof AD and studies of maculardegeneration in AD, as well asmanaging a clinical trials programmefor most recent agents in trial for AD.
eHealth
The eHealth research team at Queen’sUniversity Belfast, with core activitybased on the School of Medicine, hasimmediate links with the Belfast Healthand Social Care Trust – a very largehealthcare provider offering services toover 340,000 people in Greater Belfast.Research is focussed in the areas ofdisease diagnosis and monitoring andchronic disease support. Exemplarsinclude the use of ICT support inproviding reminding cues to those with Alzheimer’s disease, andmovement/cognitive rehabilitation of Parkinson’s disease patients. Grants are held from EPSRC, MRC,FP7 and Alzheimer’s Associationamongst other organisations.
Molecular and biochemical researchinto neurodegenerative diseases
Molecular and biochemical researchinto neurodegenerative diseasesfocuses on proteins central to the
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aetiologies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease. This work includes investigation of the rate-limiting enzyme activity foramyloid β production in clinical samplesand cell culture, where it has beenfound that significantly increasedactivity in platelets from individuals with AD, identified an influence ofmembrane cholesterol on enzymeactivity and investigated the influence of genetic variation. Studies of mRNAexpression of molecules relevant toboth diseases in post mortem braintissue have also been carried out. This has, for example, revealedchanges in metal ion transportexpression in the disease, informingfurther studies of the functionalconsequences of these changes in cell culture.
Social research
Staff in the The Institute of Spatial andEnvironmental Planning are currentlyworking on a two year Economic SocialResearch Council (ESRC) fundedproject entitled The RetirementTransition and the Celtic Fringe:Mobility Trends and Migrant and RuralCommunity Wellbeing. This researchexamines specifically the migrationpatterns, decisions and impacts ofthose aged over the age of 50 years in rural Scotland, Wales and NorthernIreland.
The Changing Ageing Partnership(CAP) was established in December
2005 with the aim of improving thequality of life for older people through a combination of research, policy andadvocacy work. Funded by The AtlanticPhilanthropies, the partnership bringsQueen’s University Institute ofGovernance together with Age NI andthe Workers’ Educational Association.It has undertaken research andawarded research grants for studies in areas such as health and social care, economic independence andcommunity safety. There are currently22 seed grant projects and seven PhDstudentships engaged in researchunder the CAP programme. For moreinformation: www.changingageing.org
For further information:
Professor James C. McElnayPro-Vice-Chancellor(Research and Postgraduates)Queen’s University BelfastUniversity RoadBelfast BT7 1NN
t +44 (0) 28 90245133e [email protected]
www.qub.ac.uk/
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9. Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI)
Research into ageing is mainly carried out by the RCSI’s Division ofPopulation Health Sciences. Currentageing-related research includes:
Quality of care of vulnerable patient groups
The Health Research Board (HRB)Centre for Primary Care Research aims to establish standards for thequality of care of vulnerable patientgroups including older adults. Current studies focus on prescribing in older populations and patterns of multimorbidity. More information:www.hrbcentreprimarycare.ie/
SLÁN 2007
SLÁN 2007 was the third and largestNational Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudesand Nutrition. As part of the survey1200+ adults aged 45 years + tookpart in a medical examination.Preliminary results were published inthe main SLÁN report, detailedanalysis is ongoing. The detailedprotocols have provided input into thedesign and development of the healthassessment component of TILDA.More information: www.slan07.ie
Other relevant research
In conjunction with TILDA and buildingon the work of the Healthy AgeingResearch Programme, 2003-2007(HARP), research on ageing
perceptions and Quality of Life in older adults is ongoing.
Recently completed ageing-related projects:
INASC
The Irish National Audit of Stroke Care(INASC) was the first national audit ofstroke services, extending through sixsurveys across hospital andcommunity care, and involvinginterviews and surveys with key stokecare providers, as well as people withstroke and their primary caregivers.
HARP
The HARP (the Healthy AgeingResearch Programme, 2003-2007)provided continuity in knowledge of health and social service usage for older people in Ireland. Funded by the Health Research Board, it examined ageing in relation to health and interaction with health care and social services.
HeSSOP 1 & 2
The Health and Social Services forOlder People Survey (HeSSOP) wasconducted in the year 2000,involvingconsultation with community-dwellingolder people in Ireland about theirhealth, social needs and service use,with a view to identifying challenges to
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service delivery and uptake. HeSSOP2 was a follow up study conducted in2004. It provided information onprogression of morbidity, changes ininformal and formal health and socialservice use and perceptions of servicequality over a four-year period.
For reports see epubs.rcsi.ie
For further information:
Dr Anne HickeyHead of Department of Psychology RCSI 123 St Stephens GreenDublin 2Ireland
t +353 1 402 2100e [email protected]
www.rcsi.ie
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Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has a largecommunity of researchers currentlyworking on ageing-related projects,funded by grants in the region of €130million.
Ageing initiatives are coordinated by the Trinity Consortium on Ageing,which brings together researchcentres/institutes, schools andindividuals working in the area. It existsto promote research and teaching inageing, to develop and sustain acomprehensive research agenda onageing, to broaden interest in ageingand maintaining relations with relevantexternal stakeholders.www.tcd.ie/research/ageingconsortium/
Ageing and Independent Living hasbeen identified as one of the eightpriority research themes of TCD for2009-2014 in our institutional strategy.
Major ageing social and clinicalresearch centres include:
The Social Policy and AgeingResearch Centre was established in 2005 with the view to analysing thesocial policy ramifications of populationageing in Ireland and in thecomparative perspective. Fundamentalto the Centre’s work is the belief thatresearch has a central role to play inmaking Ireland a better place to growold in. www.sparc.tcd.ie/
The Centre of Excellence forSuccessful Ageing (CESA), at StJames’s, a TCD teaching hospital, iscurrently under construction and will bea uniquely comprehensive and
integrated facility combining state of the art health facilities with strong links with business, services and local communities. Both the major IDA (Industrial Development Authority) - supported collaborative researchprogramme with Intel, GE (GeneralElectric), UCD and NUI Galway - theTechnology Research for IndependentLiving (TRIL) Centre and the AgeingWell Network will be key partners within CESA. www.cesa.ie/
Major ageing research programmes include:
The Irish Longitudinal Study onAgeing (TILDA), which was launchedin 2006, explores various aspects of thelives of 8,000 people in Ireland as theygrow older, and observe how theircircumstances change over a ten-yearperiod. It is funded by the Departmentof Health, The Atlantic Philanthropiesand Irish Life. The study is being carried out by Trinity College Dublin incollaboration with an inter-disciplinarypanel of scientific researchers, withexpertise in various fields of ageing,from Dundalk Institute of Technology(DKIT), Economic and Social ResearchInstitute (ESRI), National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), The RoyalCollege of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI),University College Cork (UCC),University College Dublin (UCD) and Waterford Institute of Technology(WIT). www.tilda.tcd.ie/
Living with Dementia is a socialresearch programme in dementia carethat aims to tackle the marginalisationof people with dementia, enhance
10. Trinity College Dublin
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service provision, and improve qualityof life for those diagnosed withAlzheimer’s disease and relateddementias. www.socialwork-socialpolicy.tcd.ie/livingwithdementia/
The Neuroenhancement forInequalities in Elder Lives programmeaims to develop a new model for theearly detection and prevention ofdementia among older people byenhancing cognitive function throughnew combinations of brain stimulation,mental training and pharmaceuticals.
The Intellectual DisabilitySupplement to The Irish LongitudinalStudy on Ageing (IDS to TILDA),which was launched in 2008, exploresthe lives of 800 randomly selectedpeople with Intellectual Disability inIreland as they grow older, andobserves how their circumstanceschange over a ten-year period. It isfunded by the Health Research Boardand Department of Health and Children.The study is being carried out by theSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, TrinityCollege Dublin.
Palliative and End of Life Care inDementia and Intellectual Disability:Strategies for the effective utilisation of palliative approaches and theirintegration with person centred carepractices in intellectual disabilityservices providers are being exploredand evidence based interventionsestablished and tested. Funding hasbeen received from the HealthResearch Board and the Irish HospiceFoundation.
Intellectual Disabilities andDementia: A comprehensive researchprogramme addresses identification,screening and assessment fordementia, evidence basedinterventions, policy and serviceredesign and strategic planningapproaches. Funders have included the Health Research Board andDaughters of Charity Service.
A Carers’ Agenda: Understanding is being advanced of the experiences of carers of persons with chronicconditions including Alzheimer’sdisease and COPD (chronic obstructivepulmonary disease) and of the caringcareer including what happens when a caring experience ends. Fundersinclude Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland,Health Research Board, the IrishHospice Foundation, Irish ResearchCouncil for Humanities and SocialSciences & Care Alliance Ireland.
For further information:
Dr David G. LloydDean of ResearchTrinity College DublinCollege GreenDublin 2Ireland
t 353 1 896 1000e [email protected]
www.tcd.ie/research
11. University College Cork (UCC)
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UCC has a wide ranging researchagenda. The main researchprogrammes relating to ageing include:
TILDA - Cardiovascular Analysis
Researchers at UCC, Department ofEpidemiology, are working with on theIrish Longitudinal Study on Ageing(TILDA). Its data on cardiovascularhealth, in particular, are beingexamined as is the relationshipbetween social, economic and healthfactors in determining healthy ageing.
Inappropriate prescribing and STOPP
Researchers at UCC have developed a new screening tool for assessinginappropriate prescribing in olderpeople. The new criteria, STOPP(Screening Tool for Older Persons’Prescriptions), was developed,validated and published by the UCCresearch team to address the perceivedlimitations of the Beers criteria (widelyused in the US) in a European context.The School of Pharmacy is also leadinga CARDI funded research programmeaimed at gathering information oninappropriate prescribing in Ireland,North and South, using this tool.
ISS21 Ageing Research Cluster
The Institute for Social Sciences in the 21st Century (ISS21) is aninterdisciplinary research institute forthe social sciences in UCC, whichseeks to build, sustain and enhanceresearch on social, economic and
cultural issues that will shape Irelandduring the 21st century. Within this, the ISS21 Ageing Research Clusterprovides a forum for interdisciplinaryresearch to enhance knowledge of the social, economic and culturalimplications of an ageing society. The cluster consolidates expertise in a range of related areas including:dementia care and intervention;occupational health, older workers and the ageing workforce; olderpeople and community and diet, health and lifestyle in older people. More information:www.ucc.ie/en/iss21/clusters/ageing/
Eldermet
ELDERMET combines expertise from a wide range of departments at UCC,Teagasc (The Irish Agriculture andFood Development Authority) andlocal Cork hospitals. ELDERMET isexamining the influences of, and on, the intestinal bacteria by diet, healthand lifestyle in older Irish people. Atotal of 500 subjects, over 65 years,from the very frail to the very healthy,will provide 1,000 samples toexamine the composition and stability(over a six month period) of theintestinal bacteria; and the potentialto use targeted dietary intervention topromote and maintain health in olderpopulations. ELDERMET’s researchwill provide the evidence base for thedevelopment of functional foods /food ingredients, specificallydesigned for older populations. More information: eldermet.ucc.ie
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Healthy Ageing
The aim of this research theme is todevelop research capacity on healthyageing and its promotion. The specificresearch projects include: Outcomesof a Community and Web basedPsycho-educational interventionbased on the Progressively LoweredStress Threshold Model, for DementiaPatients and their Caregivers; The Relationship between Physical,Psychological and Social Functioningin Older People at Discharge fromHospital and Selected Health RelatedOutcomes Six Weeks Post Dischargeand A comparison of Stroke Patients’outcomes when managed by a strokeclinical nurse specialist with thosewho receive usual treatment in aMedical care of older Adult ward.
Oral Health and Health of the Elderly
Researchers at UCC with fundingfrom the Health Research Board areinvestigating the links between poororal health and chronic diseasesin older people, including diabetes.Preliminary data have indicated thatthere are links between oral healthstatus and nutritional markers. It is envisaged that this researchprogramme will provide data whichwill underpin a new oral healthcarepolicy for the elderly in Ireland, and,feed into the international networkinvestigating the problems of theelderly. There are links between thisprogramme and the ELDERMETstudy in UCC.
For further information:
Office of the Vice-President for Research4th Floor, Block EFood Science BuildingUniversity CollegeCork Ireland
t +353 (0)21 490 3501e [email protected]
www.ucc.ie/research
12. University College Dublin
34
and medical needs of an ageing groupof people with intellectual disabilities inthe Dublin area. This research usedqualitative and quantitative researchmethods, and involved direct interviewswith people with intellectual disabilitiesand their carers. The research team iscurrently designing a study looking atthe pattern of social and specialistservice utilisation in ageing people withintellectual disabilities.
UCD Geary Institute
SHARE
The Survey of Health, Ageing andRetirement in Europe (SHARE) is alongitudinal, multidisciplinary and cross-national panel database of micro dataon health, socio-economic status andsocial and family networks of more than30,000 individuals aged 50 or over.SHARE is coordinated centrally at theMannheim Research Institute for theEconomics of Aging (MEA). The UCDGeary Institute run the study in Ireland -collecting and managing a cohort ofapproximately 1,000 over-50’s fromacross the country. The next stage,called SHARELIFE, is currentlyunderway. This involves re-interviewingthe original participants but takingdetailed retrospective life-histories,giving a fascinating perspective of theexperience of ageing over the lifecycle.More information:geary.ucd.ie/share/index.php
Determinants of depression in the elderly
Researchers at the School ofEconomics and the Geary Institute,
UCD is actively involved in a wide rangeof interdisciplinary, international, ageingresearch that aims to develop a fullunderstanding of the ageing process,develop technologies that address thechallenges of ageing, access the social,psychological and medical needs ofthose ageing with intellectual disabilitiesand look at the determinants ofdepression in older people. Some of itsmajor research projects and centresrelating to ageing include:
TRIL (Technology Research forIndependent Living) Centre
The TRIL Centre, based in UCD,was established in January 2007 toadvance the understanding of the ageingprocess and to develop technologiesthat address some of the challenges ofageing. The current TRIL consortiumconsists of research groups in UCD,TCD, NUIG, Intel and GE Healthcare.The ultimate aim for the range ofresearch and innovation activities carried out in the Centre is to drive thedevelopment of new models of homeand community care for older people toenable them to live independently ‘inplace’ for longer with a better quality oflife that is associated with lowerhealthcare costs. The Centre is fundedby Intel, GE Healthcare and IDA Ireland.The European Commission recentlyselected the TRIL Centre as an exampleof good practice in ICT and ageing. More information: www.trilcentre.org
Ageing research in people withintellectual disabilities
Researchers at the Centre for DisabilityStudies, have recently completed astudy looking at the social, psychological
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are currently working on some of thedeterminants of depression in theelderly using a large representativepopulation sample across 11 Europeancountries (the SHARE data). This workbuilds on recently published papers (inLaterality and British Journal of HealthPsychology) that looked at depressionand drinking behaviour, respectively, inthe same population.
National Centre for the Protection of Older People (NCPOP)
The National Centre for the Protectionof Older People (NCPOP), officiallyopened in November 2009, is fundedby the Health Service Executive (HSE).Its principal purpose is to develop anevidence base to contribute toeducation, policy and practice relatingto elder abuse in Ireland. The Centreconsists of a collaborative researchteam from five different UCD Schoolsand a UCD Research Institute. ANational Prevalence Study of ElderAbuse, involving interviews with over2000 older people across the country,is currently in progress which aims toidentify levels of physical, financial,sexual and psychological abuse andneglect, and the risk factors associatedwith elder abuse. In addition to thisstudy NCPOP researchers are alsoengaged in a range of other quantitativeand qualitative research projectsexploring, for example, the experiencesof abused older people, research onabuse and neglect in care homes, the potential of elder abuse screeningtools in healthcare settings, and otherstrategies for prevention, detection and management of abuse.More information: www.ncpop.ie
For more information:
UCD ResearchUniversity College DublinBelfieldDublin 4Ireland
t +353 1 716 4000e [email protected]
www.ucd.ie/research
Healthy Ageing Study
The UCD Institute of Food and Healthand the UCD Institute for Sport andHealth are collaborating in a study onhealthy ageing. The aim of this study is to verify the relative effectiveness ofmulti-functional training compared witha progressive resistance trainingprogramme for improving functionalability, muscular strength and power,aerobic fitness, cognitive functions,balance and metabolic healthparameters in an elderly population (65-75yrs). The hypothesis to be testedin this study is that strength andfunctional training exercises are bothassociated with general health andmetabolic improvements in the elderly.
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There is a campus-wide interest andcapability in ageing related research at University of Limerick (UL) fosteredthrough the interest and energy ofindividual members of faculties, theirdepartments, affiliated teachinghospitals and general practitioners, and community-oriented groups suchas Limerick Regeneration Agencies.
Principal investigators contributing toUL’s ageing-focused research agendaare experts in fields including (but notlimited to) psychology, psychiatry,occupational and speech therapy,physiotherapy, nursing, physicaleducation and sports science,gerontology, endocrinology, physiology,medical imaging, and electronics andengineering.
UL ageing related centres and projectsinclude:
The Centre for Active Management of Lifelong Ageing (CAMLA) iscurrently led by, and based in, theGraduate Entry Medical School but isan inter-faculty centre facilitating theestablishment of an inter-disciplinaryforum promoting initiatives that tacklelife-stage factors influential indetermining subsequent health andperformance across lifestyles anddemographic groupings.
Connected Health ImplementationPilot (CHIP) examines the interactionof clinical medicine and engineeringfocused on development of aids toindependent living.
UL collaborates closely with NUIGalway, and Georgia Tech Ireland, inan initiative focused on Smart AmbientAssisted Living (SAAL). This is analliance of researchers with a focus oncreation of innovative, person-centered,technological solutions for the effectivemanagement of health and wellness inthe home and community.
Participation in the Forum in Supportof Older People allows for a sharing ofknowledge regarding the real lifechallenges facing older people ineconomically deprived areas. Thisproject and others, emphasising anunderstanding of mental health andaccess to clinical services, receivesupport from Limerick RegenerationAgencies.
13. University of Limerick
For further information:
Professor Colum Dunne BSc PhD MBADirector of ResearchGraduate Entry Medical SchoolUniversity of LimerickIreland
t +353 (0)61 234703e [email protected]
www.ul.ie/medicalschool
14. University of Ulster
37
University of Ulster undertakes researchrelating to ageing in a number of areasfrom the social sciences tobiotechnology. Major researchprogrammes and projects include:
Attitudes to ageing: ARK
A collaboration between Queen’sUniversity Belfast and University of Ulster, ARK (Access ResearchKnowledge) examines attitudes to age and ageing. In 2003 and again in2008/09 ARK carried out research onpublic attitudes to age and ageing in theNorth and South of Ireland in surveysfunded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. Topics covered in the surveys includeperception of the contribution made byolder people, whether people are treatedwith more or less respect as they getolder and how older people are treatedin comparison with the rest of thepopulation. The adequacy of pensionprovision and financial provision by the state more generally is explored. The surveys also look at perceptions of discrimination against older people in relation to employment, health andfinancial services.
ARK is currently developing follow up work linked to the survey findings.More information: www.ark.ac.uk
TUDA - Nutrition
The Nutrition team at Ulster, incollaboration with partners in TrinityCollege Dublin and St James’s Hospital,Dublin, is currently conducting a largeinvestigation of 6000 Irish adults over 60
years termed the Trinity, Ulster,Department of Agriculture (TUDA) cohort study. The TUDA study is aimedat investigating nutritional factors andgene-nutrient interactions in healthyageing and in the development ofdiseases of ageing such as Alzheimer’sdisease, stroke and osteoporosis. Whencomplete in 2011, the TUDA study willprovide detailed clinical, nutritional andgenetic data on all 6000 participants,including three sub-cohorts of 2000, one with cognitive impairment, one withimpaired skeletal function and one withhigh blood pressure. The TUDA study in turn is part of a larger cross-borderresearch initiative the NationalNutritional Phenotype Database project(otherwise known as the JINGO projectwww.ucd.ie/jingo), funded by the Foodfor Health Research Initiative, of the Irish Department of Agriculture, with very substantial co-funding from theDepartment for Employment & LearningNorthern Ireland (DEL) under its Cross-Border R&D Programme: “Strengtheningthe all-Island Research Base”.
Connected Health
Advances in technology have thepotential to revolutionise healthcaredelivery by reducing the amount of timespent in hospitals and supporting thenotion of ‘ageing in place’. This has ledto the establishment of a ConnectedHealth theme at the University of Ulster.Participating research groups under thistheme are members of the high priorityMetallurgy and Materials and theComputer Science Units of Assessment
14. University of Ulster continued
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(RAE 2008). Together they havesecured funding of over £35M since2001. The centres and groups include:
Computer Science Research Institute(CSRI) The CSRI comprises fourresearch groups covering areas ofInformation and Software Engineering,Intelligent Systems, Artificial Intelligenceand Applications and SmartEnvironments. The CSRI’s work isstrongly aligned with Engineering andPhysical Sciences Research Council’s(EPSRC) activities in Ageing Research(New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA)Programme and the Extending Quality of Life (EQUAL) Initiative) and the EUinitiatives in healthy ageing and ICT forindependent living in an ageing society.
Smart Environments Research GroupThis group has a track record of funding awards and strong researchdevelopments in “smart home”technologies and systems for assistedliving. Funds from the EU FP6 (6th research framework programme),the Research and Development Officeand the Everyday Technologies forAlzheimer Care (ETAC) Consortiumhave supported significant researchefforts in the development of ICT basedsolutions for persons with mild dementia.Funding from the EPSRC EQUALinitiative has supported interdisciplinarycollaborative work on home basedrehabilitation and self management.
Working with Older People Research Group
The Working with Older PeopleResearch includes staff with a particularinterest in research and practice
More information:
Research OfficeUniversity of UlsterColeraine campusCromore RoadColeraineLondonderry BT52 1SA
t +44 (0)28 70324019
www.ulster.ac.uk/research
development in the field of gerontologicalnursing. Research activity is influencedby clinical practice experiences andcurrent innovations in the field ofgerontology. The group is committed to a multidisciplinary approach to workingwith older people and to maximisingopportunities for older people to be at the forefront of knowledge development.Research projects are centred on threemain themes; the effectiveness ofpractice, vulnerable older people andtransitions. Ongoing research projectsinclude: The roles, responsibilities andservices provided by home helps/homecare assistants; Mental health disordersamong residents of care homes:Incidence, prevalence and societalcomparisons; Assessing telecare forcarers of older people and Developmentand implementation of a composite model of person-centred practice witholder people with dementia – joint project with Care Circle.
15. Waterford Institute of Technology
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The Macular Pigment Research Group(MPRG), based at WIT, is conductingresearch into age-related maculardegeneration (AMD) with emphasis onthe role that nutrition might play in theprevention, delay, or modification of thisdisease.
Macular pigment, and factors whichinfluence the amount of pigment anindividual has at the macula, has beenthe focus of research by the MPRG forthe last decade. Recently publishedfindings by the MPRG have shown that individuals at increased risk ofdeveloping AMD including cigarettesmokers, older people and people witha positive family history of AMD arelacking in this pigment at the centre of the macula, consistent with thehypothesis that this pigment isprotective for AMD.
The MPRG has also shown thatindividuals at increased risk ofdeveloping AMD respond positively to a dietary supplement containing themacular pigments in that they were able to rebuild this pigment centrallyfollowing supplementation with thedietary supplement.
In addition, in a recent double blind,gold standard clinical trial designed to investigate the impact of a dietarysupplement containing the macularpigments, the MPRG has also identifiedthat patients with early stage AMD whoconsumed the dietary supplementdemonstrated an improvement in visionand a reduced risk of progression to the late stage of this condition.
Research in this area is ongoing at the Waterford Institute of Technology,but this work has already contributedsignificantly to science and currentmedical practice in this area.More information: www.mprg.ie
For further information:
Dr. William DonnellyHead of Research and InnovationWaterford Institute of TechnologyCork RoadWaterfordIreland
t +353 51 845596e [email protected]
www.wit.ie/research
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ageingCARDI
CARDI has to date awarded fundingto 18 research projects through its grants programme. Theseprojects cover a wide spectrum ofresearch, reflecting the huge rangeof issues relevant to the ageingresearch agenda. In addition tobringing together researchers fromnorth and south of the island ofIreland, all the projects also involve
a high degree of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration.
CARDI is proud to support the work of its awardees as they endeavour to ensure that we can all look forward to longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. For moreinformation on the projects pleasevisit: www.cardi.ie/grantprogramme
The CARDI Research Grants Programme aims to promote North-South research partnerships that bring together differentsubject areas to look at issues affecting older people in new ways. It encourages ground-breaking studies that bring together differentperspectives, sectors and disciplines across the island of Ireland inways that can help improve the lives of older people. It promotes theengagement of older people in the research and focuses on buildingthe ageing research community in Ireland.
CARDI Funded Projects:
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Factors influencing physician decision-making regardingmedication use in patients with dementia at the end of life
Project leader: Dr Carole Parsons, Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Queens University Belfast.
Despite the increase in the prevalence and incidence of dementia, research intopalliative care for patients with advanced dementia is limited. This novel studyseeks to evaluate, in Ireland (North and South), the extent to which patient-relatedfactors influence clinical decision-making in respect to medication use in patientswith end-stage dementia.
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An evaluation of inappropriate prescribing in long-stay elderlyfacilities in Greater Cork and Northern Ireland
Project leader: Dr Stephen Byrne, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy, University College Cork
This research project is investigating inappropriate prescribing in long-stay elderlyfacilities in Greater Cork and Northern Ireland. Inappropriate prescribing in olderpeople is a major global health problem, with serious consequences for patients,principally adverse reactions and morbidity.
Social Exclusion and Older People in Diverse RuralCommunities
Project leader: Professor Eamon O’Shea, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology,National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG).
This will be the first study to address the important question: is rural Ireland a goodplace to grow old? The project is being carried out by Healthy Ageing in RuralCommunities Research Network (HARC) (established with funding from CARDI’sGrants Call 1). It examines social exclusion among older people living in diverserural areas and investigates ways to prevent social exclusion.
CARDI Funded Projects:
The development of end of life care standards for people withend stage dementia
Project leader: Dr Suzanne Cahill, Dementia Service Information andDevelopment Centre, the School of Social Work and Social Policy, TrinityCollege Dublin
The aim of the project is to improve the quality of life for people with dementiadying in Irish residential care settings by investigating the experience of elderlyspouses and collecting data to inform a draft standard for quality care in end stagedementia long-stay care.
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Healthy ageing in rural communities; an interdisciplinary cross-border research network
Project leader: Dr Kieran Walsh, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, National University of Ireland Galway
This project aims to establish a cross-border research network to explore healthy ageing in rural communities. The Healthy Ageing in Rural Communities(HARC) network draws on interdisciplinary expertise in the areas of gerontology,economics, spatial planning, rural geography, social care, and public health. Thenetwork identified key research questions on healthy ageing in rural communitiesand explores the potential for future interdisciplinary research in this area.
Older Women Workers’ Access to Pensions: Vulnerabilities,perspectives and strategies
Project leader: Dr Nata Duvvury, Co- Director, Global Women’s StudiesProgramme, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG).
This interdisciplinary study being carried out by researchers from NUIG andQueen’s University Belfast examines the position of older women workers, ruraland urban, focusing on their access to economic security, particularly pensions.The project explores the causes and consequences of women’s current access topensions to help inform more gender sensitive pension policy making.
Rural transport for older people in the north and south –understanding and meeting their needs
Project leader: Dr Aoife Ahern, University College Dublin, School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering
This project examines the transport needs of vulnerable older people, especially inrural areas. The aim is to establish the current transport needs of older people inrural areas, and how these needs are being addressed.
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CARDI Funded Projects:
Inequalities in old age: pensions and the recession
Project leader: Professor Paddy Hillyard, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy,Queen’s University Belfast
This project explores the impact of the recession on older people north and southin the context that the value of pensions has declined in the recession against abackground of very high levels of pensioner poverty throughout Ireland.
Fuel poverty and health
Project leader: Professor Patrick Goodman, Lecturer, School of Physics,Environmental Health Sciences Institute, Dublin Institute of Technology
The project aims to link data on cold-related deaths in Ireland north and south,identify factors associated with fuel poverty, measure indoor and outdoortemperatures and study the response of older people to cold weather.
Leading dance for older people - a community health network
Project leader: Dr Sylvia O’Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick
The project explores the relationship between physical activity, health and well-being among older people. It examines the role of leaders of dance in localcommunities and work towards a research proposal of dance and older people.
Telecare for carers of older people: a research network
Project leader: Ms Brigid Barron, Innovation and Programme Manager, Caring for Carers Ireland
This research network is examining stress and fatigue among carers for olderpeople. It will investigate how telecare can alleviate carer stress. It also seeks toidentify facilitators and barriers to telecare, implement telecare on a cross-borderbasis and evaluate its effectiveness.
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Encouraging behaviour change in mild cognitive impairmentpatients: development of educational materials
Project leader: Dr Jayne Woodside, Senior Lecturer of Nutrition, Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB)
This project uses focus groups with mild cognitive impairment patients and theircare-givers as well as structured interviews with professionals to design and testeducational materials that can encourage changes in diet and physical activity.
Is age a determining factor in the treatment of men with prostate cancer?
Project leader: Dr Anna Gavin, Director, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Queen’s University Belfast
The aim of this project is to investigate why older men are less likely to receivetreatment for prostate cancer than younger ones and whether this affects survival rates.
Universally designed built environments at the urban scale
Project leader: Professor Mark Dyer, TrinityHaus, Trinity College Dublin
This research network examines how the urban environment, in planning, design,architecture and engineering, can be accessed and used to the greatest possibleextent by people of all ages.
A predictive model of long-term care
Project leader: Professor Charles Norman, Edward Kennedy Professor of Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin.
This project plans to construct a predictive model for long term care needs. Thismodel will be developed into a tool which policy makers can use to help better planfor future care needs of older people.
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CARDI Funded Projects:
Older people’s views of support and services in response to elder abuse in communities across Ireland
Project leader: Dr Emer Begley, Policy and Social Inclusion Officer, Age Action Ireland
This project examines how older people themselves see the problem of elderabuse and the support they need if they are victims. The project seeks to definehow older people see elder abuse, what they consider to be the main threats totheir safety, identify suitable supports and how these could be improved, andcompare and contrast access to services across Ireland.
Using aerobic exercise to promote brain plasticity and increasefunctional capacity in older people
Project leader: Professor Richard Carson, Queen’s University Belfast School of Psychology
This project examines how physical exercise can promote brain function and help older people recover from neurological illness. The aim of the project was to establishwhether brain plasticity, as induced by standard (non-invasive) transcranial corticalstimulation techniques, is enhanced in older people following aerobic exercise.
Ageing in persons with an intellectual disability: building the foundation for an all-island, longitudinal study
Project leader: Professor Roy McConkey, Institute for Nursing Research, University of Ulster
The project aims to develop an all-Ireland module on intellectual disability that willbe part of a long-term study of older people. This study will provide informationneeds to policy makers and service planners.
For further details on the projects please visit www.cardi.ie/grantsprogramme
Centre for Ageing Research and Development in IrelandForestview Purdy’s Lane Belfast BT87ZX
t +44 (0) 28 9069 0066e [email protected]
www.cardi.ie
Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland5th Floor Bishop’s SquareRedmond’s HillDublin 2
t +353 (0) 1 478 6308
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